


From the Beginning: In Pieces

by Catw00man



Series: From the Beginning: [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Another Road Traveled Universe, Canon Compliant, Community: fma_fic_contest, Gen, Preseries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-12
Updated: 2013-05-31
Packaged: 2017-12-11 16:11:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/800623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catw00man/pseuds/Catw00man
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roy always thought he knew what he'd do in life: follow in his father's footsteps and become a horse farmer. However an unexpected accident changes his world forever. This is a collection of stories that outline the early life of Colonel Roy Mustang.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. All My Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> This story is one I've been wring for the [fma_fic_contest](http://fma-fic-contest.livejournal.com) as a weekly series. As such I've had to constrain the tale to the weekly word limits for the challenge. That's why this will be told "in pieces" which I'm going to post as chapters here. Also [Zippit](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Zippit/) and I consider this to be the back story for "our" Roy in our [Another Road Traveled Universe](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Another_Road_Traveled), so you can consider this part of that world. I'm saying Roy is 9 years old at the start of this. And with that said, I hope you enjoy my take on one of the most complex characters I've ever had the pleasure of writing. :-)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy revels in the blissful and innocent freedom of youth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song I used (and slightly tweaked) is “Nowhere but Texas” by The Steve Helms Band. It’s the song my hubby picked when I asked for a song for inspiration! He didn’t make things easy so I created a new city/region in Western Amestris. ;-)
> 
> Written for the [fma_fic_contest](http://fma-fic-contest.livejournal.com) where it took 1st place for the prompt: _Inspired by a Song_   
> 

_Nowhere but Teysas, that's where I'll be. It holds the answers to all my dreams…._

Roy hums the song as he looks out over the neighboring pasture from his parent’s land. He’s out later than he should be—particularly since he’s alone—but the perfect late afternoon weather was too much to resist. He strokes his hand through his mare’s mane and smiles down at the short green and amber colored grasses swaying in the breeze. Small brushy trees dot the flat land and as the sun sets their shadows grow longer. He really should head back soon.

White puffy clouds drifting in a rich, blue sky streaked with deepening reds and golds beckon him to stay a little longer and he gives into the unspoken request. This small horse ranch is the only land he’s ever known, but he can’t imagine anything more perfect. His Papa’s favorite song seems to say it all.

_There's no way I'd ever leave. Everything I'll ever need's right here, right here…_

On a normal day Papa would be in the barn singing those words as he brushed down the horses and Roy would be right by his side ready to hand out the sweet feed for the night. Mama and Papa should be home soon and they won’t be happy if he’s out after dark. Roy sighs and reluctantly turns his mare from the blissful sight. If he hurries he’ll make it back by dusk. 

Wind whips through his hair as he leans over the chestnut mare and clings to her neck. Being on his own he didn’t bother with the usual saddle but he’s ridden Ruby since he was seven years old. It’s not the first time he’s ridden her bareback, but it is the first time alone. Mama wouldn’t be happy, but if he gets Ruby brushed down before they get back…she’ll never know.

A smile plays over Roy’s lips as complete freedom washes over him. He and the strong mare become one and he can’t imagine wanting anything else. Papa said if the military wants to buy their horses they can get that next pasture over and breed even more horses like Ruby, and maybe even a stallion like the one he saw at the fair last year. A horse like that would be—

“Roy! Roy Mustang, where are you?”

Roy blinks and sits up at the unexpected voice. Ruby slows to a trot at his movement and Roy frowns when he sees their neighbor wandering around behind their house. Did his parents ask her to look in on him? He scowls at the thought but his anger evaporates when he’s close enough to see the look on her weathered face.

“Roy. Thank God. Come inside…there’s been an accident.”

Roy slides off his mare and wonders why she’s telling him. His parents should be home from West City soon. He follows her through the back door, his Papa’s favorite song still playing in his head.

_Nowhere but Teysas…._


	2. Fading Embers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trapped in a hotel in West City little Roy thinks on what he’s lost and where he goes from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is one I've been wring for the [fma_fic_contest](http://fma-fic-contest.livejournal.com) as a weekly series. Also [Zippit](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Zippit/) and I consider this to be the back story for "our" Roy in our [Another Road Traveled Universe](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Another_Road_Traveled), so you can consider this part of that world. Roy is 9 years old here.
> 
> Written for the [fma_fic_contest](http://fma-fic-contest.livejournal.com) for the prompt: _Electricity_   
> 

It’s nothing but an electric lamp, but Roy can’t tear himself away. He flips the switch that sends the room into complete darkness then turns the switch again to send a low hum through the reddening hoop inside the smoky glass. He’s done the same thing countless times over the last two days and it’s yet to lose it’s appeal. Roy turns the light on and off again and focuses on the orange glow inside as if it were the only thing in the world. 

But it’s not. And soon enough he’ll have to face that.

Roy turns the light off again, but this time he doesn’t turn it right back on. The room seems pitch black after staring into the light and he can almost pretend he’s still at home instead of some stupid hotel room. He fists his tiny hands and tries to hear the wind of West Teysas outside his window and smell the dusty air and sweet hay. He squints his eyes shut and clings to the memory that’s fraying by the second. The smell of used kerosene doesn’t linger in the air and the muffled sounds of cars and too many people filter through the window even though it’s locked up tight. Roy opens his eyes and even in the darkness he can tell it’s all wrong.

He cries out wordlessly and flips on the light. It’s sudden brightness causes him to squint more than a warm, flickering kerosene lamp would. Papa told him about these lights before. He said they had them in the city, that they even lined the streets to give light after dark, but Roy only half believed the tales. Papa was a good storyteller and Roy always wondered if his descriptions were really real or a fantasy like the stories he would tell him before bed when he was little. Mama said there might be some electric lights at the fair this year and that maybe he could see them— 

Roy’s vision blurs and it has nothing to do with the brightness of the lamp. He rolls on the bed, turning away from the bright light to face the curtained window, and wraps his arms around his small form. He won’t be going to the fair this year, at least, that’s what the soldier told him. He still doesn’t understand why the man in blue came and took him away from Mrs. Cleary’s house or why he forced him on the monster of iron and steam. Roy squeezes his eyes shut and silently swears he’ll never, _ever_ , get on one of those things again. Not ever. Not when that’s what—

Hot tears run down his cheeks as he remembers the rhythmic rocking and clack-clack sound of the tracks underneath him. Once upon a time the idea of riding in an actual train seemed like a grand adventure. It was one Papa promised to take he and Mama on next winter after they harvested the feed for the horses and garden for themselves. He promised to take them to see the electric lights and the holiday parade in West City. Roy’s been counting down the long summer days, but now he knows that won’t happen either. Now what was to be a grand adventure is a terrifying nightmare and he won’t _ever_ get on another train. Not after finding out it was the train that—

“Mamaaaaa,” he cries out and buries his face in a much too stiff pillow. Mrs. Cleary didn’t tell him everything, just that something bad had happened. It wasn’t until they were on the loud monster of iron that the man in blue told him what really happened. That there was an accident and a derailment, something he said almost never happens, but it did. It happened and now he was taking him away from his home and his farm and Roy doesn’t even know why. He grips the puffy pillow tighter and swears he won’t go any further. He won’t get on another train. And if they make him the scene he made yesterday will seem like nothing.

Roy’s breath hiccups as he remembers wailing and screaming in the train station when they tried to force him back on. The man finally told him he wasn’t just taking him to West City. He told Roy he had to go far away, to Central something, and that he needed to cooperate. But he won’t. Not ever. He wants to go home. He wants to find Ruby and ride her all day long. Who’s taking care of her now? She needs her sweet feed in the evening and her morning jog through the pasture. Who’s going to take care of her and all the other horses? He needs to go home!

Roy pulls back from the damp pillow and scrubs his hands against his face. He forces deep gulps of air into his lungs and fists his hands in the scratchy fabric on the bed. Mama’s sheets always smelled like sunlight and fresh grass, not like this pungent, strange smell like overly strong soap. Everything here looks and smells wrong and he wants to get back to the grassy flat land with the welcome scrub brush and little prickly plants. It may be dusty, like the man in blue said, but it’s home and there’s nowhere else he wants to be. He doesn’t care about electric lights and hard packed streets. He wants the open freedom of fields and familiar warmth and scent of kerosene. He wants to curl up in Mama’s arms like he hasn’t for years and listen to Papa tell stories too crazy to be true. He wants—

“Where’s the boy?”

Roy’s spine stiffens as the muted words drift through the door and he reaches for the scratchy pillow again. He crushes it to his chest and his breath catches. He’s heard that voice before. It’s been a long time, and he was very little, but he knows he’s heard that low, raspy voice….


	3. Reality’s Harsh Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy learns about what he must leave in the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the [fma_fic_contest](http://fma-fic-contest.livejournal.com) where it took 2nd place for the prompt: _Circle of Life_   
> 

“Where’s the boy?”

Roy’s breath catches and he clutches the hotel pillow close to his chest. He’s heard that low, feminine voice before and his eyes widen when the memory comes back in pieces that slowly form a whole. He was very little the last time, and he hasn’t thought about her in years, but he remembers crouching in the hallway and listening to the conversation between her and Papa. 

~*~

“I don’t care what you say William, it’s not right. The boy deserves better than this.”

The unfamiliar raspy voice sounds funny to Roy’s ears and he leans forward slightly to hear better. He’s already supposed to be in bed, but how can he sleep when there’s a strange lady in the house? The knock on the door came well after dinner and even Papa was surprised. No one ever comes over this late unless it’s something bad. Mama said he could see the lady tomorrow but he wants to see her _now!_

“Chrissy, Please—”

“I’ve asked you not to call me that, _Billy_.” There’s a sharp clicking sound following her words and Roy wrinkles his nose when and unfamiliar smell drifts down the hall. He wants to peek around the doorway to see what’s making the smell but he doesn’t want to be seen and sent back to bed. 

“And I’ve asked you not to smoke in my house…Chris.” Papa sounds tired and Roy hears the window in the main room being opened. Is he upset? Mama said the lady was his sister. Is he not happy to see her? Why hasn’t she ever been here before?

“You really shouldn’t be so stuffy, William.” A shuffling noise is the next thing Roy hears then the bad smell becomes less. “But I meant what I said. Maybe this is good for you and Molly, but my nephew deserves better.” Something scuffs along the wooden floorboards and Roy holds his breath to hear better. “You’re condemning the poor boy to a life of hard work and poverty!”

“I’m giving him the gift of independence and an honest way of life!” Papa’s voice has an edge to it Roy doesn’t recognize and he bites his lower lip. “Why are you here, Chrissy? Why now? What is this all about?”

“I just don’t want to see someone else trapped in this fruitless way of life, living from hand to mouth, if I can help it.” Something heavy hits the floor again and Roy jumps at the sound. “And I _can_ help. He doesn’t have to be trapped here. Let him come to the city with me. Maybe for the summer….”

“That’s out of the question.” Roy’s eyes widen at Papa’s sharp, short words. He’s never, ever heard him sound so angry, not even when he spilled his milk on his morning paper or knocked over the hay bales when he was trying to climb them. “I will _not_ have you taking my son to the city to corrupt him with all your…city ways.”

“Don’t you dare play holier than thou with me, William! I take care of myself.” The sharp clicking sound comes again and Roy holds his nose when the bad smell from before drifts down the hall again. “All I’m saying is I can give him options, keep him from being lost and trapped…like I was.”

Silence fills the room and Roy holds his breath again to keep from making a sound. He doesn’t understand who’s trapped or where this lady got lost. He does know he doesn’t want to go anywhere, especially with someone who makes stinky smells and yells at Papa. No one should yell at Papa. Mama never does. 

“Was it really so bad, Chrissy?” Papa’s voice is softer than before and he doesn’t sound like he’s mad anymore. He just sounds tired. Maybe he should go to bed. “I mean, we had good times. Didn’t we?”

A loud sigh fills the room and Roy takes the chance to let out his own held breath. He gulps for air then listens close as he waits for her answer.

“Maybe we did.” The shuffling noise on the floor starts again then stops. “But it was different for me than you. I always felt trapped and obligated….” The lady makes a sound like clearing her throat Roy leans forward a little bit more to hear better. “I know you don’t approve of what I’ve done, William. But I’m not evil…despite what father—” 

“I know you’re not, Chrissy. I know.” Papa’s words get muffled and Roy peeks around the doorway to see him hugging the large lady. They both look sad and he doesn’t understand—

“Roy Mustang. Why aren’t you in bed?”

Roy scrambles up at his Mama’s words and rushes down the hall. He doesn’t stop until the covers are over his head, but he still can’t stop thinking about Papa and the strange lady. 

~*~

It wasn’t until the next day that he found out that being Papa’s sister made her his Auntie. She seemed nice enough, but she didn’t say much and she left before it was even dinner time. He never understood why someone would leave before dinner. Papa never talked about her again and until right now Roy forgot all about her. He was so little when she came to their farm. It’s been a long time, but he’s certain she’s the voice on the other side of his hotel room door.

“That’s his room, Madame. I’m very sorry for the delay. The boy wouldn’t—”

“Enough.” Roy jumps at the clipped word, muffled through the door and clutches the pillow tighter. “I’ll deal with him myself. Thank you for your concern.”

Roy frowns at her words because even through the door he can tell her words don’t sound right. She said “thank you” to the man in blue, but it doesn’t sound like when Mama or Papa say thank you. It sounds more like when Papa would get angry and talk about the rabbits for getting in the garden. It doesn’t make sense. But then the door knob turns and Roy doesn’t care about rabbits and thank yous anymore.

The door opens inward and Roy’s nose wrinkles when he smells the same scent he smelled when he was a little. The smoke wafts into the room and he remains very still as the large woman follows it in and closes the door behind her. She stands right by the door and to Roy’s surprise she doesn’t say anything or even smile at him the way most people do. Instead she just looks him over and Roy squirms under her stare. It feels like she’s trying to look inside him and he doesn’t like it one bit.

Roy remains quiet as she brings the long stick with the burning end to her lips and sucks on it like a straw. She pulls it away from her lips and he flinches when smoke blows out of her nose like one of the dragons from Papa’s stories. She opens a small metal box in her other hand and taps the end of the burning stick into it. Ash falls into the box and she closes it with a snap that makes Roy jump again. He doesn’t understand her actions and he twists the end of the pillow in his hands not knowing if he should say anything or not. 

“So, I hear you’re not wanting to get on the train.” Roy’s eyes widen at her words and it feels like his throat is closing up. He’s certain he won’t be able to form words under her intense look and he shakes his head sharply from side to side. Her mouth remains in a thin line at his actions and Roy squirms again. “Well, that would make for quite an expensive trip back to Central.”

It’s something about the certainty in her words that finally loosens Roy’s tongue and he sits up straighter on the bed, his legs crossed underneath him. “I’m not going.”

He expects her to get angry with him the way the soldier did or maybe to shout at him. Instead her eyes widen, only fractionally, and she brings the burning stick to her lips for a deeper breath. Smoke pours out of her nose _and_ mouth, but this time he doesn’t flinch. He stays perfectly still and forms his own mouth into a hard line and raises his chin stubbornly. He’s tired of being shuffled around like a prize mare. He doesn’t care if she’s his Auntie or not. He’s not going.

“Is that so?” Roy blinks at the question that doesn’t quite feel like a question. Why does it always feel like she’s saying something other than what she’s saying. Mama and Papa never talked like this. He’s not sure if she really wants an answer so he compromises by only nodding his head. She gives him a long look then brings the stick toward her lips again. “And where do you plan to go, if I may ask?”

Roy frowns at the question. Why would she ask that? Shouldn’t she already know? She’s been to the farm before. Roy drops the pillow to the bed and and clenches his fists in his lap. “I’m going back to my farm to raise horses.” He says it as confidently as he can and for the first time since the soldier took him away he starts to believe it. 

“I see.” Roy’s aunt sucks on the stick once more then pulls the small bit with the ember off the end. Then she crushes it out in her little metal box and slips it into the small bag hanging from the crook of her arm. She takes her time doing all of this and Roy nearly fidgets on the bed again, but he doesn’t. He needs to be a grown up now so she’ll let him go back home. She levels her look on him again and he tries to look as tall as he can by sitting up even straighter. “That could be a problem considering the farm isn’t yours anymore.”

Roy blinks at the even simplicity of her words and for an instant they don’t sink in. When they do he nearly looses it. He takes a breath and screws up his face into a stubborn pout. “That’s not true. Papa always said the farm would be mine someday.” He narrows his eyes because she has to be lying to him. “I have horses to take care of. They need me.”

“Actually…they don’t.” Roy sucks in a breath to shout back at her but before he can her silvery eyes lock on him even more intensely as she speaks again. “The horses have been sold to the military. That’s the reason I was able to get the soldier to come for you.”

Roy’s eyes widen at the certainty in her voice and he shakes his head, slowly, then more violently. “No. No that’s not right. Not all of them. Not Ruby!” His throat tightens at the though of men in blue coming for his mare and he fists his hands so tight his nails cut into his palms. “You’re lying! Papa wouldn’t sell Ruby! Take me home. I wanna go HOME!”

His loud voice echos in the small room but his Auntie seems completely unfazed. She takes a single step closer to the bed and her voice lowers slightly, something that makes Roy’s eyes prick with tears. “I’m sorry Roy-boy, but the farm is gone too.” Roy squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head rapidly. It can’t be true. It just can’t! “It wasn’t completely paid for yet, and without your father to raise the horses—”

“I’ll do it.” Roy sucks in a ragged breath and fists his hands so tight they ache. “ _I’ll_ do it!” He jerks his head up and is surprised to find his Auntie has moved closer, almost near enough to touch. “Please, Auntie Chrissy. Let me do it. I can do it!”

She slowly shakes her head and Roy’s throat closes up again. He squeezes his eyes shut again and shakes his head in denial. “It’s already done. The horses are sold and the bank has reclaimed the land.”

The sound of his choked off sob takes him by surprise and he fights to hold back his tears. He remembers when Papa left for West City, how he told him to be a good boy. He needs to be a good boy now. He needs to not cry like a baby. But right now he wants to. Right now he just wants— “Mamaaaaaa.” The name slips from his lips like a desperate prayer and he trembles with loneliness as hope slips away.

“I’m sorry, Roy-boy. They’re gone too.”

Her words are soft, closer, and he remembers hearing something like that before. He was younger and two of their barn cats were killed by a coyote. Mama said something like that when he was crying over them. She told him how death was the circle of life, like the crops and the seasons. It hurt, but then she took him the loft in the barn where another cat had just had kittens. It was the first time he saw life and death and he understood it. But this time it’s too much. This time he doesn’t have Mama to hold him and dry his tears and Papa to take him out for a ride. This time he’s all alone!

Roy opens his eyes to find his aunt near the side of the bed and he doesn’t think, just acts. He launches forward and presses his face to her chest and wraps his arms around her. She stiffens under his touch, like she’s not used to being hugged, and Roy’s never felt more alone. But then her arms lightly wrap around him and that’s all it takes to crack the fragile damn holding back his tears. 

He presses tighter against her and somewhere in the back of his mind he notices she’s softer than Mama but it doesn’t matter. She’s holding him and he needs to be held. His eyes burn as the tears fall and his chest tightens until it’s hard to breathe. He’s cried before, but not like this. Before he could still go home. Before it wasn’t all real. Before he could almost pretend—

Her arms tighten more around him and Roy clings to her the way he’d cling to his mare when she ran out of control, but this time it’s his world that’s racing by with nothing to reign it in. A heavy hand runs over his hair and he shuts down under the touch, all his stubborn barriers crumbling like dust in the field. 

“You won’t be alone, Roy-boy. I’ll make sure of it.”

The certainty in her words is cutting and raw, just like when she told him about the farm and his parents. It’s simple and it hurts, but unlike when the man in blue and Mrs. Cleary told him things would be alright, he actually believes her. He doesn’t know where they’re going or what he’ll do there, but at least he won’t be alone.


	4. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s no easy answer to find your way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the [fma_fic_contest](http://fma-fic-contest.livejournal.com) for the prompt: _Divine_   
> 

He doesn’t want to believe it.

He wants to believe it’s all a nightmare or a giant mistake. He wants to close his eyes and wake up in _his_ bed and not some strange hotel room. He wants to smell Sunday morning pancakes in the kitchen and hear his Papa telling Mama how pretty she looks in the morning. 

But he won’t, not ever again.

Now he wonders if he’ll ever even sleep again.

Roy closes his eyes to keep from staring at the unfamiliar shadows on the ceiling and memories flash through his mind. One sticks, and he doesn’t know why. It was back when Papa needed to dig a new well and they called Old Man Crowley for help. Everyone knew Old Man C knew everything about nature and healing, so much more than those state people with their magic. Papa said they wouldn’t have helped anyway, even if their magic wasn’t useless, but Old Man C could.

Roy remembers the Y-shaped stick he used to find water without even digging. Papa marked each spot Old Man C found and when he finally picked one to dig the water was there, just like he said. It was so simple and so much smarter than drawing silly designs on the ground. If only he had a special stick like that now to find his way like the other one found water. Maybe if he could find Old Man C….

But he won’t.

And he’s never felt so lost.


	5. Monster Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Train stations are full of the most bizarre creatures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit this one took me longer than I expected, but I love the shift in his character. The best part is…I can’t help but see a little Ed in him.
> 
> Written for the [fma_fic_contest](http://fma-fic-contest.livejournal.com) for the prompt: _Monster Movie/Supernatural AU_   
> 

A loud metallic screech fills the covered platform and Roy holds his hands over his years. Smoke billows from the front of the metal beast and he wrinkles his nose at the strong smell. The giant monster he’s heard called an “iron horse” slides to a stop with more grinding metal and a long hiss of steam. He narrows his eyes at the creature that looks nothing like his sweet mare. 

It’s a monster.

But it’s not the only one.

Roy drops his hands as the thing shudders once more and turns his attention to the strange people-shaped monsters all around him. He’s never seen people like this, not even at the fair, and if he didn’t know better he really would think they were all creations in a made up story. He blinks up as a woman in a long purple dress with huge feathers seeming to come out of her head passes by. His Auntie has a strange looking hat on her head too, but at least it doesn’t look like it’s going to fly away. A young man wearing a coat with long flaps in the back like a bird’s tail is with her and Roy can only stare at the strangeness of the couple.

He looks around again and it seems like almost everyone is just as weird looking. Many of the women are wearing colors he’s only seen on birds or the fancy paper decorations at the fair and many of the men are carrying fancy walking sticks they don’t even seem to need. Old Man C had a stick like that but it wasn’t all shiny and carved and he actually _leaned _on it. Roy looks down at his simple white shirt and dark brown trousers with matching suspenders all made by his Mama and doesn’t understand. These people make no sense at all.__

__A heavy hand falls on his shoulder and he looks up at the woman beside him who he barely knows and who apparently controls his future…for now. She brings her smoking stick away from her lips and blows out a long stream of smoke before looking down at him._ _

__“So, you’re still determined not to get on the train.” Roy shakes his head and stands up straighter. He hates the way she makes him feels so small and he’s not even sure why. “You realize in Central City we can get you some new clothes and some sweet trea—”_ _

__“I don’t need any new clothes.” He lifts his chin stubbornly and stares at the steaming metal monster. “And Mama says sweets can rot your teeth.”_ _

__There’s a sigh beside him and he doesn’t care. He won’t be won over by stupid monster clothes or fancy candy. He’s never cared about that stuff. He didn’t even know these things existed._ _

__“You know, your father and I took a trip through Central once….”_ _

__Roy’s eyes widen and he looks up at her. Papa never told him that. “Did you really?”_ _

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and concrit are always loved and appreciated...especially on this one! ;-)


End file.
